ER1: The formation, reproduction and persistence of spatial social and economic polarisation (Békéscsaba, Hungary)

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Host: Centre for Economic and Regional Studies, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Békéscsaba/Hungary

1 Researcher Post-Doc, full time

Duration: July 2014 – April 2015

The project will deepen theoretical perspectives to conduct research on the evolution, reproduction and persistence of centrality and peripherality. It should provide a comparative overview of theories and concepts on the (re)production of spatial social and economic polarisation  in various historical and institutional contexts of knowledge production, in particular East–West European differences, covering both the political-economic and cultural approaches.

In this project, a secondment of 1 month is foreseen at MEPCO – International Advisory Centre of Municipalities in Prague/Czech Republic for training in development and assessment of regional development programmes tackling regional disparities.

Tasks:

–          Review and critical discourse analysis of concepts on social polarisation, uneven development and                             peripheralisation etc. (desk research and ‘field work’ in MEPCO)

–          Helping the development of individual research plans in WP1 (communication)

–          Development of a common knowledge base for discussions within WP1 (communication, moderation)

Requirements:

–          PhD or degree on Master level and 4 years full-time research experience in human geography and/or                      social studies or other disciplines corresponding to the topic of the project

–          less than 5 years of full-time research experience

–          fluent in English

–          preferably good language skills supporting the research focused on the region

–          good knowledge of IT-based communication tools (including GIS)

–          readiness to participate in secondments, conferences and workshops

–          strong socio-cultural sensitivity, excellent communication skills, capacity for teamwork and joint publication,             flexibility and an interest in interdisciplinary research

The fellow should contribute to the outreach of the project, especially by:

–          participation in 1 refereed journal publication

–          participation at scientific conferences, policy workshops etc. at national and EU levels

–          participation in media communication, the development of a web-based Glossary, in creation of video clips              and podcasts and spreading relevant project information using European Commissions’ communication                  tools